Believe it or not, I don't really care for eggplant.
Something about foods that contain a lot of seeds freak me out. Cucumbers, eggplants...I always have to "deseed" my tomatoes. The thing about the eggplant is that the whole thing is seeds. You cannot really scoop them out. That being said, despite my disdain, making eggplant parmesan is one of my top five favorite meals to make. Anything that incorporates homemade marinara sauce and cheese pretty much breaks into my top ten recipe mark. I think it's because you can't screw it up. Trust me.
My almost 95 year old grandpa is a walking testament to the fact that eating your vegetables does not in fact improve your health. Sorry doctors. If Poppi could eat steak and potatoes all day, he would (and he kind of does). My mom sometimes likes to supplement his meals with some green beans or broccoli, but he never touches them. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" applies to his diet I guess. His blood work is almost going to be analyzed by top physicians. Along with steak and other various meats, he is a big time fan of chicken parmesan. If any sort of "parmesan" meal, whether it be veal or chicken, is on a menu, it's a guarantee he is ordering it. Eggplant parmesan??? That my friends is not on the Poppi approved diet. Even though eggplant isn't green, it does have the word "plant" in it's name and therefore, in Poppi's mind, is a waste of good sauce and cheese.
I'm happy to say that I proved Poppi wrong with this exact meal. Literally he consumed the exact eggplant parmesan in this picture and decided he now "likes" eggplant. I too had some epiphanies on my end. If you coat eggplant in bread and fry it, toss it with delicious sauce and cheese, those pesky seeds aren't really an issue. There are two tricks I incorporate into this eggplant parmesan. One is to salt your eggplant and leave it out for 30 minutes. This removes so much moisture you will be quite surprised. This allows the eggplant to not get soggy. The second is using sliced cheese. No, not the fancy thick slices of fresh buffalo mozzarella. You want mozzarella cheese like Kraft singles. I'm not lying. This allows the cheese to melt so perfectly and evenly over the eggplant. It's a trick I will never stop using.
Ingredients:
The sauce:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 28 oz can good quality whole tomatoes (San Marzano preferred)
6 garlic cloves minced
1 yellow onion diced
kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
In a medium skillet heat olive oil to medium high heat. Add in onions and garlic and season with salt and red pepper flakes. Cook until the onions become translucent, about 3 - 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and use a wooden spoon to break up some of the larger pieces. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 45 minutes. At this time the tomatoes should be broken down. Set aside and cool.
The Eggplant:
1 large eggplant cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds (OK to leave skin on)
2 tbsp kosher salt
3 large eggs
3 tbsp milk
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
vegetable oil for frying
1 pound mozzarella cheese cut into thin slices
1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
2 handfuls fresh basil
Place sliced eggplant on baking sheets lined with paper towels. Sprinkle salt evenly over eggplant slices. Allow to rest for 30 minutes. Blot the eggplant with paper towels making sure that all the excess moisture is removed. Set up a station with eggs, beaten and mixed in one bowl, and both breadcrumbs mixed together in another bowl. Coat the eggplant in egg, and dip in the breadcrumb mixture. Set aside on a clean baking sheet. Once all eggplants are ready, heat vegetable oil in skillet over medium heat so that it is roughly 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches deep. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. With tongs, place the eggplant into the oil and cook until golden brown on both sides, about two minutes each side. Place on the paper towel sheet so that it absorbs the excess oil. Continue this process with all eggplant slices. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a 9x13 inch baking dish spread a layer of prepared sauce on the bottom of the pan so it evenly coats the surface. Arrange eggplant slices in a layer on the bottom of the baking dish. Top with the mozzarella slices and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Spoon sauce over the eggplant and repeat the process as needed. End with the mozzarella slices and toss fresh basil over the top. Bake in the oven covered with foil for 30 minutes. Uncover the dish and bake for another 15 minutes until cheese is golden brown and bubbly. For extra browning, put the dish under the broiler and broil for 1 minute. Be careful not to burn!
The sauce:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 28 oz can good quality whole tomatoes (San Marzano preferred)
6 garlic cloves minced
1 yellow onion diced
kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
In a medium skillet heat olive oil to medium high heat. Add in onions and garlic and season with salt and red pepper flakes. Cook until the onions become translucent, about 3 - 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and use a wooden spoon to break up some of the larger pieces. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 45 minutes. At this time the tomatoes should be broken down. Set aside and cool.
The Eggplant:
1 large eggplant cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds (OK to leave skin on)
2 tbsp kosher salt
3 large eggs
3 tbsp milk
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
vegetable oil for frying
1 pound mozzarella cheese cut into thin slices
1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
2 handfuls fresh basil
Place sliced eggplant on baking sheets lined with paper towels. Sprinkle salt evenly over eggplant slices. Allow to rest for 30 minutes. Blot the eggplant with paper towels making sure that all the excess moisture is removed. Set up a station with eggs, beaten and mixed in one bowl, and both breadcrumbs mixed together in another bowl. Coat the eggplant in egg, and dip in the breadcrumb mixture. Set aside on a clean baking sheet. Once all eggplants are ready, heat vegetable oil in skillet over medium heat so that it is roughly 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches deep. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. With tongs, place the eggplant into the oil and cook until golden brown on both sides, about two minutes each side. Place on the paper towel sheet so that it absorbs the excess oil. Continue this process with all eggplant slices. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a 9x13 inch baking dish spread a layer of prepared sauce on the bottom of the pan so it evenly coats the surface. Arrange eggplant slices in a layer on the bottom of the baking dish. Top with the mozzarella slices and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Spoon sauce over the eggplant and repeat the process as needed. End with the mozzarella slices and toss fresh basil over the top. Bake in the oven covered with foil for 30 minutes. Uncover the dish and bake for another 15 minutes until cheese is golden brown and bubbly. For extra browning, put the dish under the broiler and broil for 1 minute. Be careful not to burn!
RSS Feed
